The sandbox must be awesome!!!

[EuroWheenie]

Here's a few more insights from Qatar Airways, specifically it's cabin crew:

Upon receiving their wings, they will be meet as group with the CEO, Akbar Al-Bakar (aka The Poisoned Dwarf). He'll give them a visual check, then pass notice to crewing if he fancies someone. That someone will be taken out of normal crew accommodations and placed in a hotel, with a spare key handed over to AAB. He will then have his merry way with them until they start tiring him, at which point they'll be sent to the normal crewing accommodation. The girls can say no, and that's a one-way ticket out of town.

Cabin crew have a curfew on off days, they must be at their quarters no later than 0400. On duty days, they must be in their quarter a minimum of 12 hours prior to pick-up time.

Cabin crew are not allowed to chose own accommodation

All staff are told the cabin crew are not to be mingled with; they are AAB's girls and anyone who gets intimate with one and is found out, will result in both getting fired

On the management level, the revolving door is never standing still. Everybody lives in eternal fear of AAB, and can get fired at moments notice

Anybody living in company supplied accommodation may have their apartment searched at any given time, looking for booze. If you don't have a license to buy booze, you're not allowed to have any at home. If you do, and a search reveals so much as a single can of beer, you're fired

There is only one place in the country where you can buy booze. You must first apply for a license, and all purchases you make are registered and sent to Qatar Airways HR. If the company thinks you've been buying one too many beers, you will be fired.

If you bank at the company recommended bank, all transactions will be shared with Qatar Airways HR. If the company thinks you spend your money on the wrong things, or transfer too many founds out of country, you will be fired.

Qatar Airways HR employes 2 persons full-time only to handle the dismissal of executives VP and above. Think about that!

If you are fired, you will be walked to your office where a person from IT will dismantle your company supplied computer and remove the HDD. This happens in full view of all staff. Following that you will be escorted to your residence, where company security staff will search your house. If they find anything that belongs to the company, even a piece of paper a manager might have brought home to work on, your exit visa will be cancelled and criminal proceedings started. You will be found guilty, and be fined any outstanding amount the company may owe you including any severance packages.

All of the above is just the tip of the iceberg, and none of it is mentioned in the contract or during the interview process.

Join at your own peril!

Don't tell me you haven't been warned.

 

[whymeworry?]

I forwarded that article to a buddy of mine at QR a while back. He said the article makes it seem peaceful there... that it was much, much worse in reality. But he was quick to point out that most of the harassment is on the FA side. I guess as pilots, you do your job, go home, no hassles... more or less.

I guess it must be OK for the pilots because very few leave, relative to other employee groups there. And my buddy there, while not an American, is no slouch. He's been a WB Captain for years and could go pretty much anywhere he wants. But he stays at QR because, obviously for him, there aren't enough compelling reasons to leave (yet).

I have another buddy who left his airline for QR, got through training, then immediately quit. He couldn't stand it. And he was Indian (much lower standards than those of is in The West). He went back to his old airline in India as a Captain, but lost over 10 years of seniority. He's a bit pissed at me still because I encouraged him to to to QR in the first place (on the advice of my WB Capt buddy there).

 

[Golden Falcon]

Not sure if Euroweenie is speaking from experience, or just spouting hearsay....but while it's not a laid-back flying club...it's not a near death experience either...do your job, get paid find other things to do on your time off...like anywhere else...

 

[Varmint]

On PPrune, Qatar airways has been monitoring the board for negative posts and have subpoenaed PPrune for the actual names, IP addresses, email addresses, etc thru a liberal California court of those who made those postings.

For a fairly large company to monitor what is said on a pilots rumor forum just shows how desperate the comb over sporting hot headed CEO is to hide the truth of what is happening at Qatar airways. What he is reportedly doing to the cabin crew by essentially locking them up and holding their jobs over their heads so he can have his way with his choice of girls, and maybe even guys, is reprehensible and if it is true he should be punished severely.

 

[Golden Falcon]

On PPrune, Qatar airways has been monitoring the board for negative posts and have subpoenaed PPrune for the actual names, IP addresses, email addresses, etc thru a liberal California court of those who made those postings.

For a fairly large company to monitor what is said on a pilots rumor forum just shows how desperate the comb over sporting hot headed CEO is to hide the truth of what is happening at Qatar airways. What he is reportedly doing to the cabin crew by essentially locking them up and holding their jobs over their heads so he can have his way with his choice of girls, and maybe even guys, is reprehensible and if it is true he should be punished severely.

Know Etihad did that as well...personal friend got hauled over the coals for his posts

 

[realityman]

Kinda like the military..stiff rules, you know 'em before you join...nobody is drafted...all volunteers...follow 'em or else...simple really...

No, not simple.

Actually, I could agree with your post above, except for two things.

1) The rules must be made known in order to know and follow them and

2) The rules must be of a nature that they can actually be followed.

The military may have stiff rules, but they conform to my two conditions above.

If the info in that article is true, those FA's never had any real chance to follow the rules. None of them working there do. It's pure luck for the ones who remain employed.

Punished for over boiling an egg? I wonder if it's listed in any of Qatar's rules that you can't make a cooking mistake on your days off?

Seems more like rules being made up on a whim as the company sees fit.

How can you even remotely defend the totally unreasonable? But I also wonder how much those FA's are paid to make them actually want to stay at all? Lots of questions.

 

[Golden Falcon]

I'm not relying on an article for my assessment...personal experience...the article has some merit...but the other side of each story might shed light on as to how and why...

 

[realityman]

Fair enough.

Are you a pilot there? Or an FA?

What's the other side of the story? If you have some intel I'd love to hear it.

No sarcasm when I say I'd love to hear the justification for disciplining someone for screwing up cooking an egg on her day off. And why/how do you ban someone from coming back to the country just because of being fired?

 

[EuroWheenie]

Basic pay for a QR FA is EUR 811/month. Accommodation is provided (so AAB can make sure they are in bed before 0300 on off-days) as well as transport to/from work (so AAB can make sure they are all where he wants them to be).

I've done a bit of consulting on behalf of IATA. My daily rate was EUR 800!

 

[bigsky]

I think that when you consider flight pay they average $ 2000-2500 per month....on top of that accommodation and insurance plus zero taxes....so it is probably consistent with international airlines?
I have many friends from Spain, Greece, France, Asian etc...and most like it. You hear some horror stories, and I don't condone this but you have to admit most of these rumors grow bigger every time they are told.

 

[Golden Falcon]

I think that when you consider flight pay they average $ 2000-2500 per month....on top of that accommodation and insurance plus zero taxes....so it is probably consistent with international airlines?
I have many friends from Spain, Greece, France, Asian etc...and most like it. You hear some horror stories, and I don't condone this but you have to admit most of these rumors grow bigger every time they are told.

Spot on!